Leeds Parent Carer Forum has submitted a detailed response to the government’s consultation on proposed reforms to the SEND system.
You can read our response in full here.
We have worked closely with local families to gather feedback and ensure parent carer voices are at the heart of the response.
We hosted two online sessions focused on the consultation, and created an online Padlet where families could explore the proposals and share their views. Alongside this, we drew on feedback gathered over time through:
- school SEND coffee mornings
- workshops and PCF sessions
- local offer drop-ins
What families told us
Across the feedback we gathered, parents and carers across Leeds support the aim of earlier help, better inclusion and less need to fight for support. Their feedback is that the reforms remain too vague and risk shifting responsibility onto mainstream schools without the funding, workforce, specialist input and legal safeguards needed to make them work.
Across all themes, families are asking for clear accountability, enforceable support, protection of specialist expertise and rights, safer and more suitable provision, and much stronger attention to post-16 pathways, life skills, mental health and long-term outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
Working beyond Leeds
As well as submitting our own response, Leeds PCF has contributed to wider regional and national responses.
– Yorkshire and Humber regional response
This response brings together the views of Parent Carer Forums across the region. It highlights shared concerns about delays, workforce pressures, and inconsistent access to support, alongside priorities such as improving early identification, strengthening inclusion, and protecting legal rights.
– National response from the NNPCF
The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) has submitted a response based on feedback from forums across England. This reflects consistent national themes around inclusion, accountability, rebuilding trust, and ensuring reforms lead to meaningful improvements for children and families.
Read the full responses
You can read the full responses here: